Tobacco #
| Common Nomenclature | Nicotiana Tabacum (Prime) |
| Street & Reference Names | Smokes; Cigs; Ciggies; Cigs; Butts; Fags |
| Reference Dosage | Threshold 0.2mg+; Light 0.3mg+; Common 0.6mg+; Strong 1mg+; Heavy 2mg+ [Erowid] |
| Anticipated: Onset / Duration | 20 Seconds / 20 Minutes |
| Form | Plant Material |
| RoA | Smoked |
| Source / Jurisdiction | Retail / UK |
SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE #
The chief commercial crop for tobacco is nicotiana tabacum, which contains the active alkaloid, nicotine. It is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world, and is sold legally throughout the world, with an estimated one billion active smokers.
Despite this, I have to admit that I don’t get it. I don’t understand why so many people use this other than to initially experiment, once or twice.
For me, it produces an extremely mild stimulation and a very slight mood lift, followed by a little sedation. None of this is significant enough to return to, especially with so many more-worthwhile and less-toxic options available.
I have always felt like this. I sampled it a few times in different forms as a youngster, fortunately not frequently enough to become addicted. Whilst I have occasionally smoked it pre-rolled with cannabis (more through necessity than choice), I have never been even slightly tempted by the tobacco.
My own lack of interest, however, certainly doesn’t diminish my responsibility to point out the acute danger posed by its use.
The World Health Organisation states bluntly that:
“Tobacco kills around 6 million people each year. More than 5 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while more than 600,000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke”
In the US, the CDC states that:
“Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause … more than 480,000 deaths annually (including deaths from second hand smoke)”
And that:
“Life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than for non-smokers”
In the UK, ASH reports that:
“Smoking is the primary cause of preventable illness and premature death, accounting for approximately 96,000 deaths a year”.
I am sure that there is little need to further labour the acute perils and pitfalls of using this drug, as they are so well known. The negative imbalance of risk versus pleasure should already be obvious to all.
If you don’t smoke, don’t start. If you do smoke, support is available from a variety of sources to help you stop, including from government websites.
[http://smokefree.gov (US) and http://www.nhs.uk/smokefree (UK)]
For the record, for the opening photographs on the previous page I purchased a packet of 10 cigarettes from my local supermarket (Tesco), at a cost of £3.60 (January 2017). The sales assistant assured me that these were the cheapest “normal cigarettes” on offer and that they were very popular.
In some parts of the world (tobacco) cigarettes are still sold freely via public vending machines (Tokyo, 2017)
A specialised market has long existed for various types of smoking tobacco, particularly when sold as cigars (P.G.C. Hajenius, Amsterdam, 2017)
A hookah, also known as a shisha or a waterpipe, utilises water filtration and is frequently used to smoke tobacco mixed with flavouring, fruit or other ingredients.
I used this particular device in a restaurant in the middle-east
In the modern era many people vape their nicotine, and as per this photograph, taken in a Dutch vape shop, a wide selection of flavours and tastes are available for the discerning user.
SNUFF & SNUS #
Although tobacco is almost universally associated with smoking and vaping, it is sometimes consumed via other methods, notably as snuff and snus:
Snuff (finely ground tobacco leaves) is sniffed or inhaled into the nasal cavity, providing a rapid hit. Again, I experimented with this form in my youth. I recall a sort of immediate head shock, after which I sneezed and wheezed to expel the residue powder.
Snus originated from snuff in the early 18th century, and is consumed sublabially (placed between the lip and gum). It is particularly popular in Sweden. Variants of this include dipping tobacco and naswar (the latter is largely used in Afghanistan).
It’s worth noting that the intake options (for various purposes) don’t end here. Indeed, Wikipedia informs us that:
“Tobacco smoke enemas were employed by the indigenous peoples of North America to stimulate respiration, injecting the smoke with a rectal tube.”
This is probably a good point at which to end this segment.
ADDENDUM: THE SNUS EXPERIENCE #
Having a few hours to spare whilst in Copenhagen, I hopped over to Sweden specifically to sample snus at its global epicentre. On arrival I quickly found a tobacconist and asked for the most traditional and popular variety. I was provided with the following, which the proprietor described as “a gentleman’s original snus”:
On leaving the shop I placed one of those packets between my gum and upper lip, and held it there for some minutes. It was hot and burning, and the taste, which ran down the back of my throat, wasn’t at all nice. I held on but it didn’t get any better.
Five minutes in I was feeling a little sickly and dizzy, and had to expel it and sit down. There was stimulation present, but the icky feel was primary. On nine minutes I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. The dizziness was now worse, and the rather poorly background had not dissipated in the least.
Did I get any sympathy from my patiently waiting colleague? Not exactly: I was told that I was an a$$ehole. This at least made me chuckle.
The good news is that at twenty minutes I felt that I was on the road to recovery, even though I still felt ill and just wanted to curl up in a bed. After half an hour, although I hadn’t recovered I was well enough to walk again and continue with my day.
This was definitely not one for me. It was, perhaps unsurprisingly, like a diluted re-run of my mapacho and rapé experiences. Note that I discerned no lag or after effects, either during the afternoon or the following day.
If I have failed to do justice to this, please bear in mind that I am not a smoker (of tobacco). This was way too much for my disposition.